Amen Corner
by Rick Shefchik
Published by Poisoned Pen Press
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Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
Sam Skarda is a Minneapolis homicide detective and an excellent amateur golfer. A bullet to the knee while on duty requires long rehabilitation and a lot of walking—which for Skarda means golf. His dedication to practice gives him a shot at the U.S. Publinks championship—and when he wins an invitation to play in the Masters.
And this is a Masters like no other as he runs into his old Duke roommate, Shane Rockingham, now a star of the PGA tour and recently separated from his wife and caddy, Caroline. He connects with an old Augusta caddy, Dwight, who has caddied for former Master’s champions, and who will be on the bag for Sam—if he’s healthy enough. And there’s a group of women protesting the Masters because the National doesn’t allow women members.
But then things turn ugly. First one person critical of the “no-women” policy turns up dead at Amen Corner, and scarred into the green are the words “this is the last Masters.” When a second turns up dead, the authorities are forced to look at the possibility that it is someone from the National’s membership that is responsible for the murders. Augusta’s chairman retains Skarda as a private advisor to work alongside of—and if possible, ahead of the police to find and stop the killer. No stone is to be left unturned, even though the chairman is convinced that no member could be behind the murders.
Though Shefchik identifies the murderer early in the book (and I prefer to keep guessing), he does lead the book’s characters on a merry chase through a series of logical (and wrong) conclusions. Any avid murder mystery reader will enjoy watching he various characters follow the false trails and will admire Skarda’s commitment to finding the truth—regardless of the cost.
Any golfer who’s been to the Masters (and I have) will delight in the accurate descriptions of the course, the town, and the event itself.
Armchair Interviews says: Murder, intrigue, romance, a balancing of the books, and a moral to the story (several in fact) will leave the reader hoping that Shefchik has another book in the works.